


MMX Code: Crimpphire - Once a Peaceful Sleep

by EdouBunny



Series: Megaman X Code: Crimpphire Short Stories [2]
Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: Almost Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Insomnia, M/M, Nightmares, Other, Sleepy Cuddles, Something that may be canon for the AU but might not who knows, Zero sleeping in X's bed, Zero's Nightmares, parasomnia - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26921989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdouBunny/pseuds/EdouBunny
Summary: Zero’s Nightmares have gotten out of control. And there’s only one thing, or one person rather, that can bring him comfort. Especially during difficult times such as these with the Repliforce bringing in threats to humankind.This is in the middle of the X4 arc of the AU
Relationships: X/Zero (Rockman)
Series: Megaman X Code: Crimpphire Short Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1463233
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	MMX Code: Crimpphire - Once a Peaceful Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> FINALLY AFTER AN ETERNITY
> 
> I have many, MANY fics planned. Some started but I got stuck, others I haven't started yet. Hell, I'm planning to make yet ANOTHER series involving something Buffy Related, but it's an AU. Some of you who've followed me on Tumblr and Twitter, you know what I mean by that. I'll hopefully post a story in a few days and hopefully mean it this time. Since typing on my iPad really does help me be more focused on writing fics- which is sad considering I want to type on my gaming keyboard but I'm distracted on my PC 24/7. I'll get a Bluetooth mechanical keyboard for it down the line, I swear. Preferably with blue switches.
> 
> Anyway, enough about my rambles! Hope you enjoy the story!!

The plague of Wily being in Zero’s mind, and what separates his current goal from the one given by him since creation presumably, and in these dreams are absolutely terrifying. Zero can never describe the sheer amount of pressure he has onto his core whenever he has these dreams or- if they are even dreams that aren’t real. What if they were memories that he’s forgotten? What if they were something he’d rather push to the back of his mind, despite them appearing in nightmares nearly every night since the Repliforce had started making threats to humankind? Is there a purpose for these nightmares to come up in such a difficult time he, X, and the Maverick Hunters had to face yet, or is it something completely unrelated? The Midnight Ripper can never tell for sure. It may linger in his mind, but there are more important things to worry about than his own fears and concerns of his past. If he even has one.

Zero barely even remembered a thing besides his own name when X found him. Covered in rubble. Damages were critical. He didn’t know where he was when he woke up under all that debris. Wondering if he was going to live at all. But X came to his aid. Marking the first time they met.

X… He can never stop thinking of him. Not since he felt- certain feelings he has felt before. But on a scale that hasn’t been reached before. Not since Storm Eagle or Spiral Pegasus. No. With X, it’s different. Far different than he ever thought possible. More than a mere- _crush_. The ones he felt for Storm Eagle and Spiral Pegasus were both crushes. At least, that’s what Dr. Cain told him they were when he told him about the prior.

With X, it still is engraved into his Z-Chip, he feels something more. Something stronger, something that’s _there_ that won’t go away. When approaching Dr. Cain about it one more time, he explained to him it could be love.

Love. Something Zero has never even considered before in his entire existence. Something that seemed mere child’s play and a waste of time. Despite having the crushes he had, it just seemed impossible. Despite the fact, he was high in the ranks for the Maverick Hunters and still is, not to mention the fact he thought of Storm Eagle as his superior and nothing else. Or at least tried to. Despite being a superior himself, he felt his experience was nothing compared to those who have been in the ranks the same as him much longer.

Unfortunately, Zero still can’t grasp that he may be _in love_. Cain even told him the signs and they all seemed to smash together something that made sense, yet didn’t.

_“What are the signs, exactly? Inquire me, if you will.”_ Zero remembered asking him when he came to the conclusion. Despite the fact he and Dr. Cain didn’t have a close relationship, they were still friends.

Thinking back on what the old human had said to him, he remembers the following, _“The signs, my boy, are those of feeling euphoric around them. You have this desire to see them smile, hear them laugh. Wanting to be sure the person is safe. They’re happy. You would even go so far as to put up with behaviors that are annoying to others, but endearing to you.”_

That stuck in his mind after thanking Dr. Cain for that day. And from what he can tell, he does all those things, and more. He feels warm and euphoric when around X. But with X avoiding him lately, especially when having Nightmares and Insomnia, and the Repliforce being a nuisance on top of it all, it has deprived him of sleep.

And the nightmares are getting worse. More frequent with each passing night. And when he tries napping, even if he thinks it wouldn’t be necessary, he tries. And fails.

Later one night, he still tried to sleep. And hoped he would be able to fight against them.

_~~~He wakes from a pod. Same as he always does in the nightmares he has with this- Scientist he keeps seeing. He hears his voice. Clearly. As if he knew what this person sounded like in his past. There was no denying he would see this man from the past. But how far? Where did this man originate from? Is he his creator? Was there a past between them he didn’t know about? The only way to find out was to try and be a lucid dreamer, but Zero is terrible at being one. He can’t control what he sees in his nightmares. Or in his overall dreams._

_He sits up from the pod, seeing the man before him._

_“_ **_After him! He is my nemesis._ ** _”_

_After who? Who is this nemesis? Who is this man specifically talking about? The exact words he’s heard over and over again have been echoing in his mind for weeks._

_“_ **_Our rivalry is what gives me motivation in life._ ** _”_

_Motivation. That’s something that’s become foreign to Zero after trying to motivate himself so many times. To work hard. To gain information. To fight Mavericks. Repliforce. Make friends, despite how hard of a chore that may be. And keeping close to his best friend. The one he cares about so deeply. The one he wants to talk to. The one he wants to resolve things with. To hopefully give him closure and some kind of assurance that X isn’t avoiding him. Wanting to leave him, after all, this time they’ve known each other. It’s been almost two years. He feels they can’t go back with how close they’ve gotten._

_“_ **_Now go! Destroy him! That's an order._ ** _”_

_Same words. Same exact words. He can never place what they mean. Who he was supposed to go after, if it’s what his original purpose was supposed to be something connected to it, and more importantly, why it was such an order that somehow can’t be ignored._

_He tried asking for answers before he got a certain pain in his head. Something sharp. Something… familiar._

_“_ **_That boy is also my enemy._ ** _”_

_The voice had said. Zero stopped dead in his tracks as he turned and started walking away from this figure of his nightmares. He turned back, his face turning from neutral, calm, and collected, being used to these nightmares by now, despite how terrifying they are. To shocked. Hearing something out of that man’s mouth in his dreams that wasn’t those same words that were engraved into his chip already._

_“W-what..?” The Midnight Ripper stammered, feeling fearful as to whom the figure was talking about._

_“_ **_You know as well as I do, Zero. That boy you’re so infatuated with. Forget him. He’s nothing. He’s still an obstacle that can stand in my way. Even beyond my grave._ ** _”_

_Zero had no idea what this still all meant. Why this figure was saying these things?_

_“Who are you talking about..?”_

_“_ **_I’m talking about Megaman X._ ** _”_

_That was what did it. Zero felt a pang in his core. Something he never felt before. Hurt. Rage. Anger._

_He growled lowly, “How dare you talk about X as if he’s supposed to be my enemy..! He never will be!”_

_“_ **_But does that matter? All this time of him avoiding you. It’s obvious he knows about you. About your past where you have needlessly forgotten._ ** _”_

_Needlessly? What was so important that he couldn’t forget about his past?_

_Zero growled again, slightly louder than before, “If it’s so important, then why don’t you tell me!?” He demanded answers. Answers to everything about himself. He thought he was who he was supposed to be. A Maverick Hunter. A protector of mankind. Someone strong and justice filled. Someone who partners with a sweet and pacifistic but determined individual known as X. Someone he won’t ever leave alone if something ever happened to him. Did that mean if something were to happen, he’d remember and_ **_he_ ** _would be the one to harm X?_

_His face contorted into fear. He’s terrified. He looks down, his hands are now all bloody, and looks up again. Seeing X all mangled. His limbs broken, his gut circuits ripped out, his face all torn apart._

_The Midnight Ripper stepped back in disbelief and horror._

_“_ **_That is a sort of power you hold, my son._ ** _”_

_Son? When was he a son to anyone? Then it clicked- this figure still standing before him must be his creator!_

_“Who are you!? TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!!”_

_The person before him still standing in a silhouette had spoken, “_ **_Someone who will meet with you again._ ** _” Before he disappeared again. Zero then wanted to call him back, “Wait! I still need you to-” but was shortly cut off by the familiar pain he gets in his head every time in his dreams. But this time the pain was much sharper. He screamed in pain. Flailing worse than he ever did before. He was curled up on the floor, still holding his head tightly from the pain._

_The flashes of Sigma, the destroyed reploids, his information chart, and bloodstained hands were all still there. But the flash of X’s mangled body flashed after all that was to make Zero scream.~~~_

“Xevdex!!” He shot up. Wincing and feeling the pain from the nightmare he endured. He heaved, trying to catch his pseudo breath from all he saw. He rubbed his forehead, feeling overheated.

“Fuck.. when will this ever end..?”

He sighed heavily, looking down at his hands. He trembled. He normally doesn’t do that after a nightmare. But the flash of X’s corpse had shaken him so badly. Seeing his best friend in such shape was something he didn’t think was going to send him into a panic. Fear. What’s worse was the fear was something that _he_ might cause X’s death if he were to remember his past, somehow.

Without saying another word, Zero knew what to look for in the comfort he needed. He normally doesn’t look for it, being he thinks a lot of pleasantries are very necessary. But in times like these, he realized he did need them. He needed to escape. Escape from those nightmares he’d rather not endure for another night or whenever he went to sleep mode. Sleeping while charging was something he hardly ever did. But even then, the nightmares still reached him. And it fucked with his sleep schedule. To be promptly up at a certain hour in the morning, to be ready for his job, and to help X whenever he needed it.

He got out of his charging pod, not even bothering to put his helmet back on, and headed out of his quarters. He headed down the hall, to a room that was next to his. Xevdex’s room.

He hardly ever visited him in his room, lately. Since he was avoiding him, he figured the Sapphire Hunter needed space. But he gave him too much, and he worries a lot about it. But for right now, all he needed was to be by his friend’s side.

He then knocked on the door.

* * *

X had been lying awake in his recharge bed, still having anxious thoughts about Zero. When was he going to tell his best friend that he’s been in love with him for a long time now?

He suddenly heard a knock on the door, his tired voice echoed across the room, “Who is it?”

A voice had projected from behind the door. A familiar one, “It’s me, X. It’s Zero.”

Zero? What was he doing here? He wanted to avoid him as best as possible. He hated having to do it, but he wanted to not only avoid him, but the fact of what he felt was a strong feeling of rejection. He decided to open the door remotely after thinking a moment to see what Zero wanted.

He then closed the door once Zero entered, “Zero? What're you doing here? It’s 3 am..” He rubbed his eye to emulate he's been woken up. When really, he was only half asleep and half awake. Then seeing Zero’s face, a spike of worry shot through the Blue Hunter. He looked tired as well, but distraught. Scared. It pained X to see his best friend like this. Plus for the fact, he hardly sees him without his helmet either. He usually kept it on.

Zero rubbed his arm a little, slightly nervous to tell him. The flash of X’s corpse went through his mind again. The pang came back, and it urged him to cry out of fear and worry for his best friend he cared about so much.

“I- had a nightmare..” He finally managed to speak. Soft sounding, and vulnerable.

X had been taken aback from what he heard. A nightmare? He thought Zero never had nightmares. If he did, he was never told of this. Silence had built up between the duo. Zero not giving him eye contact. Showing vulnerability that he’s never shown before. Then, he concluded as to why Zero wanted to come here in the first place.

“You- want to sleep with me..?”

Zero merely nodded. Not able to muster any more words from his mouth component, walking closer to X’s pod. He’s scared. Terrified. That nightmare shook him more than any other had so far. He’s afraid of the nightmares getting worse if they’re going to be this much of a scare factor. He remembered once when he watched Nightmare on Elm Street with X, and he suffered worse nightmares after that. Considering how Freddy Kruger was a terrifying thing that would come into your dreams and kill you in them, and it would kill you in real life. Of course, that gave Zero nightmares about  _ him _ doing those things when he started getting them about the reploids he supposedly killed.

But killing X, even in his nightmares? This was much worse. So much worse. He hasn’t been this shaken up, ever, and he needs something to help him feel less scared. Less vulnerable. That person? X was the only one who he deemed capable of helping him through this time.

X was so worried over Zero, he grimaced, going back to his pod and moved the blanket off from the side of his bed closest to Zero, “Okay. Come here..” He smiled at him softly. Zero took the opportunity to the space given to him, provided by his best friend. The Midnight Ripper then lay into the bed, feeling comfortable from the mattress that was in X’s charging bed. He was one of the only ones with this luxury, if not the only one here who had it. X was most human out of all reploids, after all.

“Mmm..” Zero murred, feeling the most comfortable he’s ever been since feeling this tired and shaken. He started relaxing immediately, despite the limited space either of them had in X’s bed.

“Sorry the bed is small since it’s meant to fit only me, but I hope it’s okay.” X softly spoke, his voice nurturing and comforting. He was liking the feeling of Zero being right beside him. He felt warmth. _Zero’s_ warmth. It made him feel more secure than he'd been feeling in the last few months.

Zero then finally responded to X’s statement about the charging bed being small, nodding once, “It’s fine..” Sighing with wondrous content, snuggling into the bed, his eyes becoming very heavy and nuzzled into X’s helmet crystal, “It’s… nice…” He finally closed his eyes and fell asleep. Out like a light.

X had then watched him fall asleep. He’d never seen Zero so content before. So soft and so at peace when asleep. Most people do, but to X, it was something he’d treasure for at least one night. He hoped it would happen more often, but it probably wouldn’t. Since he felt Zero didn’t care about him as he did. Being in love with him as he is. He can’t even believe to himself that he’s fallen in love with his best friend. He could have fallen in love with someone else. But Zero? He thought the close bond between them might have been something to do with it, but he can’t say for sure. Not knowing if that’s the case or not. Either way, he’s just glad Zero’s here, and he can take care of him if he had another nightmare.

He had, and X comforted him best he could. Zero’s nightmare was the same, but he felt worse until X comforted him. Zero vowed to himself to keep this a secret until he tells X how he feels.

* * *

Weeks had passed since he went to X’s room to sleep with him. To make sure he was real and alive. His nightmares about X being mangled messed with him and made the nights worse. He hasn’t gone to X’s room since, but he would like to go back. Especially after the talk he and Iris had. He had confidence that he would tell his Blue Jay how he feels about him.

He found out Iris crushed on him, but he didn't return her feelings. Despite being heartbroken, Iris understood and wanted to return something to X when they got back from their outing. This time as actual friends not worrying about too much and just having fun.

When they got back to see X, and Zero confronted him about the avoidance he’d been getting these past few months, the Midnight Ripper then felt- something that made his systems go haywire. He felt dizzy, his vision blurring, and then… suddenly everything went dark. Incoherently hearing Iris’ voice, along with X’s a few moments after before everything went silent.

**Author's Note:**

> WOO- sorry for the cliffhanger- that part's kinda spoilers. Also, it's vague for the same reason, but I might write it in a fic, who knows.
> 
> I squealed making the parts of Zero falling asleep and whined over concern for him. Jesus- plus I wanted to write something with X and Zero not getting together or realizing their feelings yet, and this was the result~
> 
> I'm tempted to put this in the audio drama, so- might as well be lmao~
> 
> Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed just as much as I had fun writing this~


End file.
